With Great Power
by DoubleL27
Summary: Arthur Weasley has a chat with his three oldest children about responsibility and doing what's right.


Arthur Weasley looked over the latest muggle artifact that he had confis- collected, and wondered what exactly what it did. It was called a blender, which meant some things were probably mixed together with in it. But what was the question.  
  
He was working on it on the kitchen table, praying that Molly didn't come home and find him with it in the house. Truth was she wasn't too fond of him bringing home his pieces from work into the house. It was what the shed out back was for and she never failed to remind him of that. But as she had taken their youngest children to her sister's for the day and had left him with their three eldest sons the only way he was going to get a chance to play with the object was to bring it inside.  
  
Thinking of the boys, they had been quiet for quite some time. Too long. Percy was often quiet but Bill and Charlie, especially Charlie knew how to cause a ruckus in the house. The severe lack of one made him highly suspicious as to what exactly his sons were doing.  
  
Arthur wandered through the house to the front room and spotted the boys, Bill holding a gagged Percy in a headlock and Charlie with a broom in his hand. Arthur warred between the protective father and the amused man. The protective father would have to win this round. "And what are we up to now?"  
  
The two eldest boys instantly sprung backwards and looked at the door. "Dad!" they exclaimed as Bill whipped the rag out of his younger brother's mouth and Charlie's broom was now dropped behind a chair.  
  
"Oi Dad, we were just playing," Bill explained.  
  
"Playing eh?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow as Charlie continued to smooth down Percy's hair with a loving pet.  
  
"Were not! they were trying to--" One of Bill's hand shot out and covered Percy's mouth quickly and efficiently. "Mmph mmmm phmm."  
  
"Don't worry about us Dad;" Charlie instructed, "go on back to your work."  
  
"How about we run this game by your mother when she returns?" Bill and Charlie paled and Percy stood a bit straighter. Arthur raised an eyebrow at them. "Do you honestly think just because your mother is out visiting your aunt that you can get away with these things? Come on we'll have a little talk," he said moving towards the couch.  
  
Bill closed his eyes and let out a groan. At fourteen he'd been getting these speeches for just about forever. "Oh come on."  
  
"Dad! We're sorry. It won't happen again," Charlie promised in an attempt to avoid getting a lecture that he really didn't want.  
  
"You too Percy," Arthur said, scooping up his younger son.  
  
"Me? Why me? I didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"With great power comes great responsibility."  
  
"Dad," Charlie said with a groan, falling over as if it hurt him to hear the phrase. "WE know this speech by heart."  
  
"At least come up with a new one, please."  
  
"I know you know it by heart; I just don't think it stuck. As I was saying, with great power comes great responsibility. It's a concept You- Know-Who never got."  
  
Arthur watched as all three boys' eyes went wide. "Dad!" they exclaimed together in shock as if he had just broken ten house rules and Molly was standing directly behind him.  
  
"We're not supposed to mention him," Percy told him in a tone that suggested that he was helping his father more than anyone ever had. The thing that worried Arthur the most was that the older two boys were nodding along. "Mum doesn't--"  
  
"Did your mum return without my noticing?"  
  
"No," the three boys chorused dully.  
  
"You have a right to hear some things. I know you boys remember, and because you have memories you should be given more information than you have so far."  
  
Bill's eyes were wide and there was a terrified excitement there. Arthur regretted his eldest son's lack of knowledge the most, Bill had seen and understood more of it than any of his children and was nearly lost. "You're serious?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I be? Your mother wants to protect you, but I refuse to send you out there without some understanding of the way things work. You understand?"  
  
All three nodded and looked on with avid interest.  
  
"As wizards we are born with power in our blood. To us it is nothing extraordinary, but compared to muggles it is an exceptional power. One of the reasons I have such an avid interest in them is that they have found a way to live without the magic we rely on for everything. There are some wizards and witches who think that because of the lack of magic in muggles, they are inferior and because of their inferiority, they should therefore be destroyed."  
  
"Why?" Percy asked, scrunching up his forehead in an attempt to understand. "What did they do?"  
  
"Nothing," Charlie said quietly while Bill absently played with the carpet. "Right Dad?"  
  
"Exactly. It's a show of power. Something that is done because they can, because in these witch and wizard's eyes they are making the world purer," Arthur explained, and edge to his voice which gave off just how distasteful he found the act. "The truth is that it's an abuse of power. They're using this gift that we have been given for nothing more than bullying, if you want to make it simple. And anyone who stands in their way is a target of this bullying as well."  
  
"But this bullying means death," Bill said, and Arthur could tell he was trying to differentiate forms of bullying.  
  
"Yes, it does, which makes it completely irreversible and nearly impossible to find forgiveness. What you boys need to realize is that you can't go about bullying your brother like that because you can. A healthy rivalry, a prank or two, sure, but tying each other up and forcing them on brooms because you're stronger, it's unacceptable in this house to you understand me?"  
  
There was finally a glimmer of understanding in all three of his boys eyes and it did Arthur proud. "Yes Dad."  
  
"Alright, now I'm going to go back to the kitchen and figure out this blender thing before your mum returns." The boys all gave him knowing smiles. "Play nicely," he instructed before leaving the room.  
  
"'Right Dad."  
  
As he left the room he heard the boys talking. "Sorry Perce," Charlie said, and Arthur could nearly see his son ruffling his hair. "We shouldn't have done that."  
  
"Is there anything you want to do?" Bill asked.  
  
And Molly though he couldn't handle the boys. He heard a faint crash from the front room and a curse word he supposed Molly would have a fit over if she ever heard. He nearly turned around and went back to clean the mess for the boys, but then why not leave Molly to her illusions. 


End file.
